


This Was a Mistake

by mandaree1



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Age Difference, Amethyst is Latina and uses it to her advantage, Coming Out, F/F, Gen, Meet the siblings breakfast, Pearl is paranoid and knows how to beat someone up, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-07-13 00:49:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7131380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mandaree1/pseuds/mandaree1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pearl lives with her two sisters, Blue and Yellow. Being out of the closet is a new concept to her, one that has yet to be implicated towards them. Her girlfriend is loud, open, and willing to beat the crud out of anyone who tries to stop her from being herself. Things happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Was a Mistake

Amethyst smells like body odor- sweat and the underlying hint of dirt, amongst other things- with a whiff of shampoo that was scented but not frilly. She neither wore perfume nor makeup, as one gave her headaches, and the other made her skin itch, so there was nothing powdery intermixed with it, no respite from the tangy bite of it. Pearl buries her nose in her mane and lets it curl her nostril hair; it's a good way to take her mind off things.

" _Amorcita_?" Her accent was thick with drowsiness.

"Hmm?"

"You're squishin' me."

Pearl huffed out a laugh and tugged at her locks- dark brown with faded purple highlights. "To be fair, you're crushing my legs."

Amethyst stretched, but otherwise didn't retake the train seat next to her. She instead used it as a footrest, bouncing violently along the rails. "I ain't _that_ fat."

"But I'm all bone." She teased.

" _Mhmm._ " She growled with a knowing air, shifting uncomfortably. "You need to eat."

"I _do_ eat."

"Eat _more._ " She insisted with a simplistic air.

Pearl rolled her eyes and fell silent, knowing a failing argument when she heard one. Instead she ran slender fingers across her back, feeling the soft give of skin. Whoever invented body fat- God, the universe, Mother Nature- was someone Pearl wanted to thank profusely. She couldn't imagine Amethyst being any other way. All pudgy belly and caramel brown skin; so dark it made her feel translucent.

A familiar hot weight on her thigh began to shiver, startling her out of her trance. Amethyst cracked open an eye and shoved a meaty paw into her pocket, withdrawing her cellphone. It's an older model that flips up. The internet on it has been disconnected, it's so outdated. "Get a ringtone. Nobody uses _vibrate_ anymore."

"It's only polite." She protests, checking the ID. It's her sister, of course. Pearl stifles a twinge of guilt.

She clears her throat, gathers her courage, fingers digging into Amethyst's skin for luck. Pearl flicks the phone open and puts it to her ear. She doesn't bother with pleasantries. "I got lost."

Her sister's needling voice comes in loud and clear. She imagines Blue is hovering next to her, daintily making gestures to put her own opinions into the conversation. None of them is well-versed in sign language, which may not be the _smartest_ thing they've done, considering Blue doesn't speak for weeks, sometimes months, on end.

"You got lost." Yellow repeats dubiously.

"Yes."

"You didn't think to research the route beforehand?"

Pearl thinks of the route she _did_ memorize- to the park, a restaurant, then home- and forces herself to remain unashamed. It's not her fault Amethyst took priority. It's not her fault her relationship with her father has taken a hard right turn. "Looking at maps and riding the actual trains are two very different things, it turns out."

"I _told_ you to just ride with us. _I told you_."

Pearl lets her sister have this one. "You told me."

"Who rides the train these days, anyway? One second." Yellow audibly pulls away to puzzle out Blue's fluttering hands. "You don't sound very ashamed of yourself."

"Accidents happen." She replied steadily. Amethyst squeezes her thigh, the beads of her plastic bracelet digging into the skin.

"Are you..." She hesitated. " _with_ anyone? Right now?"

Pearl's heart stops. They _didn't_. "That's, uh, that's a weird thing to ask."

Pearl knew she wasn't her parent's favorite person in the world at the moment- and she was probably no longer their daughter, in her father's eyes. Her fingers tightened their grip- but she'd assumed they would, at least, respect her privacy enough not to tattle on her to her siblings like prepubescent children after a bully the way smaller birds can group together to take down a hawk.

"Not from what we've heard."

"Oh." Her throat flutters with panic. So, that's it, then. Outed by her own parents.

Yellow huffs a bit, but it's an awkward sort of huff. "I, for one, am deeply offended. We demand to meet her immediately."

Pearl stutters out excuses. It's so sudden, she didn't expect, she'd hoped they wouldn't do this, it's just...

A warm hand gently touched the one with a death grip on her cell. Amethyst looks up at her with a concerned frown.

Pearl summons what remains of her resolve and says, "I think it would be wise if I stayed away tonight."

"And go where?" She demands. "To _her_ house?"

It's with a great amount of self-control that she simply presses end rather than start a fight and flips the phone closed, sighing.

"I need a place to stay for the night." She admits after a stressful pause. "Can that place be yours?"

"Anyday, _belleza_." Amethyst smirks, showcasing rather impressive teeth behind plump lips. "Do I need to fuck a _culo_ up?"

"Amethyst!" She scolds, laughing. Pearl is still new to the language, despite receiving lessons from the woman, but she does understand _tone._ "That was my sister!"

"Yeah? I got a sister; older sonofabitch. Real _puto_."

"I thought it was _puta_ for women?" A warm tingling settles in on her cheeks from the word.

"It is. She doesn't punch as hard when I call her _puto_." Amethyst laughs, pressing her face into Pearl's thin stomach. "Love 'er."

"So, that's a yes?"

"'Course. Where's the fun in life if you can't snuggle a stick from time to time?"

Pearl giggles a bit and wraps her arms around the woman's head. Her eyes slid shut with a sort of tiredness one gets after fighting a battle and surviving. Yes, some rest would be nice.

* * *

Amethyst isn't her first "conquest", of course. She'd taken up a job as a bodyguard right after high school graduation, and had become _very_ close to a certain Ms. Quartz. _Mrs._ Quartz, now.

Pearl had always had a certain notion- paranoia, perhaps- towards being unprepared for combat, and had taken great care and pride in learning multiple types of weapons and uses for them. Basic hand to hand was a specialty she'd taken great interest in, as well. Should a war ever find itself on the horizon, Pearl would willingly volunteer to lead the charge. The army had always been one step away.

Their relationship, to this day, is strong, albeit a tad strained, what with her new lover, Mr. Universe. Rose's most recent roommate, Garnet, hadn't exactly become a romantic connection, but they certainly hadn't been just friends, either. Nowadays Pearl considered them equals- a person she trusted to go to if her love life went down in smoke to find stability, and vice versa.

Of course, if it does, it isn't going to happen anytime soon. Amethyst clung to her like a leech, sucking on red until there wasn't anything left to take, and then gave so she could take again later on. But that's love, right?

"Well, duh. Look at you!" She'd thrown her arms in the air to Pearl's hesitant admission of prior affairs. There had been a teasing hint to her tone, but also a way of jealousy- not of Rose and Garnet, but of her experience compared to her own- or lack thereof. "You're too damn pretty to have never been asked out before, at least!"

Amethyst has always been fairly ambiguous about herself. Pearl has heard plenty of stories about her sister, Jasper; none of her parents. The one time she'd asked she was treated to a long-winded joke about uneven asexual reproduction bringing a midget and a giant into the world as siblings. She hasn't had the guts to ask since.

Her apartment was of decent size, with a basic bedroom, office, bathroom, kitchen and living room set. The office had been transformed into a guest room, an inflatable mattress tucked there for safekeeping. They'd made the bargain that, so long as she was allowed to keep her room how she liked, Pearl was allowed to tidy the rest of the place when she wished, and they shared the much cleaner guest bed.

She slept fully clothed. Amethyst slept in boxers and a see-through tanktop. She was certain that was something to be pulled from that, something deep and psychological.

It's comfortable, domestic situation they have. That's all she means.

"Alright, _querida_ , I gotta go get that." She sighs warm air into her neck, the chime of the doorbell ringing through the small space. "It's the UPS guy."

She tightens her grip around the young woman's squishy back. "You'll come back, though, right?" She feels like a child for asking that, but the idea of being alone in a semi-familiar environment (it's not like she spends the night often) doesn't appeal to her.

"Of course, _mi vida_. Who'll call you cheesy names and tell cringe-worthy jokes if I don't?"

Amethyst does the human equivalent of nuzzling her throat before reluctantly slipping out of her arms. She briefly considers putting on pants and maybe even a bra, before shrugging. The delivery man has seen worse than a pair of saggy breasts.

She yanks open the door to find, instead of the familiar dark-skinned face of her man in blue, two scrawny women with pointed noses. It's like they took the beauty of her Pearl and and twisted it into another form; one had blonde, pointed hair, in a padded blouse and shorts, with the sort of saunter that parts crowds, while the second was dyed blue, hands daintily clasped around the front of her blue dress, the top half covered with a hoodie. She reminds Amethyst of the little girls her mama and the other women in the Hispanic district of her hometown would fawn over. _Princesita_ , they'd call her- Little Princess.

Amethyst recognizes familial relations when she sees 'em, but feels the need to tease them regardless.

"The fuck, _pendejas_? You ain't the UPS _cabronas_."

The blonde's brow is drawn. The sour look seems to run in the blood they share- Amethyst could recognize it a mile away. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." She crossed her arms. "I had a fuckin' awesome hat in the mail. You'd totally be jealous if you saw it. Wait." Her lips purse. "Did you take the _hijo de puta_ hostage to steal my hat?"

"I'm not going to bother with answering that." She sniffed. "Is our sister here?"

She goes to waltz inside, but Amethyst bars their way with a hand that, realistically, is about as holding as a baby gate. "Hey now, _verga_ , you don't just go rushing into another person's _casa._ "

There's no doubt in Amethyst's mind that she doesn't understand a lick of Spanish, like her sister before her, she's more than capable of comprehending _tone_. "It's hardly my fault. You go gallivanting off with _my_ sister, threaten _our_ parents-"

"Just the _puto_. The mom was nice."

She acts like she didn't hear. "And then you expect me to be perfectly okay with you two sharing a room overnight?"

Her thin shoulders are heaving, eyes dark with rage. Still, she's about as threatening as a baby bird to a girl who boxes in her free time.

Amethyst ticks things off on her fingers. "One; her call, not yours. Two; the _pedazo de mierda_ was calling his _lucero_ a fucking nasty ass word. Three; _no me jodas, gringa_."

Amethyst takes a deep breath in. Her accent, thick and always bringing up memories of home, was a personal pride to her, but she felt a stab of irritation regardless. She got harder and harder for _gringas_ to understand, more Spanish-based and littered with curses. She wished she could simply haul off and punch her in her smug mouth, but the police would frown on that. It'd certainly teach her a thing or two.

"Amethyst?" Pearl's voice called, worried by her absence, and she bunches her shoulders against the woman's triumphant look. "Who's at the door?"

She replied, teeth grit; " _Tu perra hermana_."

"Repeat that, please." She sounds worried.

"Sorry, sorry." Amethyst clears her throat and raises her voice, meeting the woman's eyes while she does. "Your bitch sister!"

There's a pause, followed by a frantic clattering. Blondie squawks, while the silent one tries to calm her down without touching her. Pearl appears after a few minutes of mute glaring, clad in silk pajama bottoms and- she notices with some relish- a plain black shirt Amethyst had bought for her.

"Blue. Yellow." She says haltingly, seeming to almost squirm under the weight of their looks. "How did you find out where I was?"

"You gave father a vague idea as to where _this_ creature lived." Yellow sticks her nose up and points.

"Ah. I see."

" _Perra_." She hisses, eyes narrowed.

"Amethyst, stop cursing."

Amethyst looks innocent. "I didn't say anything _that_ bad."

"Don't care. That's _my_ sister you're insulting."

Her quills lowered themselves, albeit only slightly. "'Kay. Got it,  _querida_."

"Was that an endearment, or a curse?"

"It means 'my darling.'"

Her cheeks grow warm. "I see."

"So," Yellow awkwardly breaks in, all confidence gone, "about you being gay."

"Alright, alright." Amethyst spins around and marches back into the apartment. "You skinny girls gonna talk, you gonna eat while you're at it. You look like you're gonna keel over any second."

Amethyst pulls out a plastic chair for Pearl at the puke green kitchen table and leaves the other two to seat themselves. She clattered around in the cupboards a moment, yanking out a big skillet to slam on the stove.

"I'm sure you understand why I didn't show up to visit yesterday." Pearl started eventually, clenching her fingers together.

"He _did_ call you a rather rude word when we brought you up." Yellow conceded.

Pearl winced, but accepted this with a nod.

"That _puto_ is hardly a father." Amethyst growled over the sizzle of frying potatoes. "He's the literal personification of a waste of space."

"Behave." Yellow scolds her, as thought she's a lost mutt brought into her home out of the kindness of her heart, but only on the condition that she keep her muddy paws off the rug. It doesn't sit well with her.

"You wanna eat? Then you're gonna let me speak my mind."

"I was using him as, well, a practice round." Pearl admitted with a grimace. "I was hoping his reaction would be more... positive."

"But it wasn't." Yellow prompted.

She shook her head. "I... probably shouldn't have brought her along. Not without coming out first."

Blue waved her hands to garner attention, then gestures between herself and the woman next to her.

"Why didn't I tell you?"

She nods.

"It wasn't that I thought you wouldn't accept me. I'm not blind, and neither are you. You've probably been waiting for me to admit this." She hesitated. "It was more the age difference, really. Anybody could see Amethyst is more than a few years younger than me."

Amethyst snorts as she carries over three plates worth of food; omelets and diced fried potatoes with spices. Not quite what her mother would make, but tasty nonetheless, especially on such short notice. "Here. How do you skinny girls manage not to get blown over by a breeze, I'll never know. What's that one thing folks are always saying- age is relative?"

"Five years between us before I've even left college _is_ a big deal, Amethyst." She hums, grabbing a fork to dig in, but not before setting a paper towel on her lap as a napkin.

"Ah, screw 'em." She unceremoniously pulled back her chair and sat down, propping her stubby legs up on the table. "'M nineteen fucking years old. They can't tell me what to do."

The next few minutes are consumed with the sounds of scraping forks and quiet chewing. Amethyst seems perfectly content to watch them fill their bellies, humming with self-satisfaction at having contributed to the slow destruction of their arteries.

She nods to the woman across from her daintily cutting food into even smaller bites. "So, uh, is _sra. bailarina_ over here always this quiet, or does she just not like me?"

Blue swallows and cuts a finger across her throat with a shake.

"Oh. You can't talk."

A nod.

"By choice, or birth?"

She indicated the former with a graceful hand gesture.

"Good choice." She nods her approval. Blue lets out a quiet trill of happiness.

"You may have won _her_ over, but I'm not so easy." Yellow shoots her sibling a dark look.

"Chill, _gringa_." Amethyst raises her hands for mercy against the blonde woman's glare. "I ain't planning on 'winning' anything."

She sniffed, then softened a bit. "How did you two meet, anyway?"

"Where does anyone meet someone they end up falling in love with?" Pearl answered cryptically.

Amethyst said; "The laundrymat."

"It was very romantic." She defended.

"True, true. I got to see your bras before we even hit first base."

She accepts the squawks with pride, watching the silent woman politely cup a hand over her mouth, shivering with laughter. One out of three was a pretty good turnout, as far as she was concerned.

"You're repulsive." Yellow sniffs. "But, considering I feared this was a cover-up for an abusive relationship, I suppose it could be worse."

"Oh, no, I'm totally abusive. Pierogi's ankles have never been in worse sample."

"Amethyst, somehow I _doubt_ my legs would be the parts of me in danger if you and I got into a physical fight." She clamped her hand into a fist in demonstration.

Amethyst was dead certain that scrawny woman could suplex her and tie her down without issue, boxing lessons aside. She took this thought and filed it under Idea's She'd Be More Than Happy to Share With Pearl. "I dunno, P. You're pretty killer with sharp pointy objects."

There was no amusement in the look Pearl shot her, but she saw it as a victory.

"I hope you realize I fully intend to look up those words you called me." The other woman tried, eyes narrowed.

"Why bother? I can tell you what I said right now." She returned calmly. "Or do you want to borrow my phone?"

Her lips trembled, but Blue put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head.

"And I hope you realize that I'm perfectly capable of supporting _mi amor_ , should she get sick of you two, so don't even bother with the deadbeat jokes." She finished. "I've heard them all before."

"I'll find _something_." Yellow hissed, clenching her fingers on the edges of the table. "Don't think this is over."

Blue pulled a small notebook free from her hoodie pocket. She scribbled down some words in pen, clicked it shut, then ripped the page off to hand it over to her, nodding in satisfaction.

Amethyst is a slow reader, and Blue's handwriting is messy, so it takes her a few minutes to decipher. She barks out a laugh and claps her shoulder. "You got it, _princesita_."

"What? What does it say?" The blonde woman demands. Pearls shoots her a look.

" _If_ it's not personal, of course." She rectified her sister's impatience.

Blue nodded her okay.

"Just says ' _me encanta tu culo_ , but you better take care of my sister.'" Amethyst shrugs with perhaps a tad too heavy amount of nonchalance, crumpling the paper with a giggle. "Will do, _tonta_. Will do."

**Author's Note:**

> As a person who doesn't speak a lick of Spanish, I have no issue with corrections. Seriously. How do we learn if not for someone coming up and saying "Hey, yeah, no. That's not the right thing."
> 
> First Pearlmethyst 'fic! Heck yeah!
> 
> -Mandaree1


End file.
